Ruth Doris McWhirter, 97, passed away Dec. 14, at the Masonicare Health Center, Wallingford, Conn.. Daughter of the late Edwin J. Roberts and Annie C. Osborn, she grew up in the Hyde Park section of Boston, where she married Alexander McWhirter. They were residents of Warwick and East Greenwich for more than 60 years.

Ruth loved poetry, especially Rupert Brooke, whose book of poems she always kept beside her chair. She was an accomplished watercolor artist of landscapes and still lives. A long-time member of the Wickford Art Association, she exhibited her works in the Wickford Art Festival for many years. She and her husband were also members of the Warwick Country Club, where she was an avid golfer.

In later years, she and her husband split their time between East Greenwich and Hilton Head, S.C., where Ruth also painted and golfed. She is survived by two sons, Alan D. McWhirter and his wife, Barbara, of Cheshire, Conn., and David B. McWhirter and his partner, Mary Ann O’Farrell, of College Station, Texas; a daughter, Karen L. McWhirter of Marlborough, Mass.; a niece, Marilyn J. Chambers of South Yarmouth, Mass.; and four McWhirter grandsons, Jason of Alexandria, Va., Gabriel of San Francisco, Calif., Justin of Hartford, Conn., and Joshua of College Station, Texas.

Her funeral service will be Saturday, Dec. 20, at 11:30 a.m. at the Hill Funeral Home, 822 Main St., East Greenwich. Visitation will be prior to the service from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Burial will be in Quidnessett Memorial Cemetery, North Kingstown. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in Ruth’s name to the Wickford Art Association or to a charity of your choice.